AS VAL
}} The AS VAL '''is a Russian Integrally Suppressed Assault Rifle. It is unlocked at rank 15, or it can be purchased with credits. '''History The AS Val (Russian: A'втомат 'Специальный Вал or A'vtomat '''S'pecial'nyj '''Val, English: Automatic Special Shaft) is an integrally suppressed assault rifle designed by TsNIITochMash in the late 1980s as a specialized weapon for Russian special forces. Given the operations Russian special forces carried out, a more powerful, suppressed and shorter ranged weapon was required. Initially, the weapon was based on the Kalashnikov design and does retain some similar controls as AK rifles, such as having the charging handle located on the right-hand side and the ability to use the AK (and SVU's) universal side mount for various optical attachments. It is fitted with an integral suppressor and is chambered in the 9×39mm subsonic ammunition. Being designed as a short-range, close-quarters-combat (CQC) focused assault rifle, the AS VAL is made to be small and more compact, featuring a folding stock. This is unlike its sniper version, the VSS Vintorez, the AS VAL has a foldable skeleton stock. The AS VAL is currently used by the special forces and reconnaissance divisions of the Russian Army, as well as the MVD and FSB special forces in limited numbers.http://guns.wikia.com/wiki/AS_%22Val%22 Guns Wikia - AS "Val" In-Game General Information The AS VAL is a powerful assault rifle. It sports moderately high damage, being a three-shot kill (3SK) up close and a 5SK at longer ranges. Range is fairly short however given the integral suppressor, with damage beginning to drop off at 50 studs and stopping at 85 studs. Rate of fire (RoF) is quite high, at 900 RPM. Muzzle velocity is also low due to the integrated suppressor, at 1500 studs per second. This results in the AS VAL having an extremely quick time to kill (TTK) up close; being one of the fastest killing automatic weapons in-game. However, the AS VAL's TTK outside medium range is fairly slow, as a consequence of the slow muzzle velocity and the short range of the weapon. Magazine capacity is smaller for its class, at 20+1 rounds. Coupled with the high RoF, the AS VAL has a very high ammunition consumption rate. Ammunition type is fairly common though, making it easier to resupply. Reload times are relatively quick, requiring 2.3 seconds for a tactical reload and 3.1 seconds for an empty reload. In addition to this, the AS VAL is one of the few weapons able to equip the Extended Magazine attachment option, increasing the magazine capacity to 30 rounds with the downside of losing 30 rounds in reserve, from 120 dropping to 90 rounds in reserve. The AS VAL has high overall vertical recoil, making keeping track on target whilst firing in full-auto difficult. Horizontal recoil meanwhile is less present and per shot recoil is relatively moderate. The AS VAL also boasts fairly good handling traits. It has a fairly tight hipfire spread and good mobility speed. Usage & Tactics See also: Community Assault Rifle Strategy Due to the AS VAL's low TTK at close ranges and its integral suppressor, the AS VAL excels greatly in CQC. Sticking within close-to-medium range combat is the ideal range of the weapon. It should be noted compared to other CQC-oriented weapons, the style of play the AS VAL favors is not one of aggressive rushing tactics but rather stealth and surprise-based ones. Users should avoid a frontal assault into high traffic areas due to the AS VAL's smaller magazine capacity and subsequent risk of needing to reload in the middle of combat. The AS VAL is able to be used in such a manner, but is arguably better suited towards gunplay that takes advantage of its integral suppressor. Instead, it is much more viable when flanking and in stealth-based tactics, to get behind enemy lines, where a user can easily take out enemies by surprise and then proceed to run to a different location. These hit-and-run tactics allows the AS VAL to be able to kill small clusters of unsuspecting enemies without being initially detected. It is also recommended to avoid longer ranged engagements, given the poor muzzle velocity and range of the weapon. However, even with good trigger control, the smaller capacity of the AS VAL means an entire magazine can be easily used on just one enemy, wasting ammunition. This also means that frequent reloading can result in a user's death if timed incorrectly. This can be remedied with the Extended Magazine attachment, at the cost to the user's ammunition reserve amount, however, this is a minor trade-off. Eliminating enemies individually rather than in groups can also mitigate the issue of frequent reloading. Coupled with the element of surprise, a user may be able to kill a decent-sized group of enemies without being detected. In regards to attachments, the iron sights are suitable for close range engagements but any optic will provide better precision. A low-magnified optic such as the Kobra sight is a good choice for such distances. Given the integral suppressor, the AS VAL is unable to attach any barrel attachments, meaning recoil reduction is done solely through grips and user input. For grip attachments, the stubby or angled grip are suitable options to help mitigate the high recoil of the AS VAL. Alternatively, one can quip the vertical grip and focus on hipfiring, particularly when paired with a laser sight. As for an Other attachment, the aforementioned laser sight is quite a good choice given the hipfire accuracy of the AS VAL, although this is subject to user preferance. Conclusion Overall, the AS VAL is a flanking, CQC orientated weapon; its high RoF and integral suppressor benefit the weapon in close-range battles. Pros & Cons Pros: * High RoF * Low TTK up close. * Integral suppressor. * Quick reload time. * Good hipfire accuracy. Cons: * Low magazine size for its class. * High ammunition consumption rate. * Lower total ammunition for its class. * High vertical recoil. * Cannot equip barrel attachments. * Low muzzle velocity. * Short maximum range for its class. Trivia * The AS VAL was the second weapon added into Phantom Forces with an integral suppressor. * The AS VAL was originally classified as a personal defense weapon, but was placed under the assault rifle category after update 0.9.0. Update History 'References' Category:Weaponry Category:Primary Weapons Category:Assault Rifles Category:Integrally Suppressed Weapons Category:Alpha Weapons